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Name
Jamila
- Oman
Profession
teacher and scholar
Question
Assalamu alaykum brother
My family and I have been listening to your songs for years, and we enjoy them for their musical quality as well as for the uplifting message.
As you know, someone has recently circulated a recording of you singing "Give Thanks to Allah" on the Internet, claiming that this is the voice of Michael Jackson, and inviting speculation that Jackson has now become a Muslim. How does this fabrication make you feel, and are you going to take any legal action against the perpetrators?
Thank you for your time.
Answer
Jazakallah Khair for the compliment.
This is quite incredible. The first time I heard about it, I dismissed it as a prank but I'm beginning to wonder. I'm really not sure who started it and I'm not sure what the reasons were. Well, I dont really take any of it seriously and therefore, I've just ignored it until now. I dont see the point in making a fuss about it, although I have wondered what the motives were.
Name
thasmeena abdulla
-
Profession
Question
Hope Br.Zain this message finds you in good health and Eeman and may Allah bless you in this life and the next, and many others like you who so beautifully bring out the message of Islam.
Anyway my question is what are your views on Muslim song artists who in the name of Islam use musical instruments that are prohibited when once I heard a scholar say, "The means do not justify the ends!".Jazak Allah Khair.
Answer
Thank you for your question and your prayers. May Allah guide us all.
About the question on the use of musical instruments, there are, as you know, many differring opinions from the many different and prominent scholars throughout the world. My aim has always been to try and make the songs as inclusive as possible. However, it is difficuilt to please everybody. Allah alone knows best and every action is based on it's intention. Therefore, I cannot judge the other artists but my own actions.
Name
hafeezah
-
Profession
Question
Assalam alaikum.
I'm so happy to have the chance to ask you a question Brother Zain. I am very proud of my Muslim brothers and sisters who try to make a positive difference. May i ask what it was that motivated you to go international? May Allah bless you and your family.
Answer
Well, to be honest, what has hapenned thus far, Alhamdullilah has been beyond my expectations and plans. When I started, I really wanted to see if I could do it in the first place. There was not many Islamic Songs in English at the time and therefore, the whole concept was quite new. But Allah has a plan for all of us and we need to embrace it and use what Allah has bestowed on us to please him. My intention now is do as much as I can to inspire others and then pray that in turn I am inspired towards Allah, Insha-Allah.
Name
ashraf
-
Profession
Question
Salams brother, and may Allah reward you for the great work you are doing in spreading the message of Islam. Are you working on new songs now and if so, what topics are you focusing on and why? Thanks so much for sharing your time with us.
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
Well, that is very exciting. After 'Mountains of Makkah' was launched, it took so much out of me and I felt that I needed to focus on something different. Because the theme of that album was so mature, I wanted to start on something for children. So, the new album, name still to be decided, is dedicated to the journey of all children. From both the physical and spiritual aspects my oldest son, Rashid, whom many of you would know from the album "I Look, I See" has just turned thirteen and this album is a lot about him and his journey. We have got some incredible songs featuring mostly Rashid and myself but we were also very fortunate to have the honour of getting both Dawud Wharsnby Ali and Abdul Malik from Native Deen onto the album as well.
There are about ten songs and I'm sure that it will be very popular. We plan to launch it Insha-Allah on the 5TH of June 2006. However, there will be a single available of one of the bigger songs, namely a song called "Cant you see" featuring Rashid, myself and A. Malik about the effects of drugs. This will be avaliable in April, Insha-Alah. There will be updates on www.zainbhikha.com and www.jamalrecords.com(*)
Name
jeremy
-
Profession
Question
Hi, I just want to say that I really like your songs and I'm kind of listening to them more now than the regular music i used to listen to. I think your songs have a lot of meaning that i don't always find in the others. Anyway, I wish you can have a concert and we can get to see you perform. Are you thinking of doing any concerts in the near future?
Thanks
Answer
Thank you for the compliment. Well, generally I try to keep the concerts to a minimum becuase I do have a full time job which keeps me going. However, I do realise that the albums do need promotion. So far, I've got a few shows confirmed for this year. There's the Islamic Relief tour in the U.K. in April, there's a US tour in July with ICNA and then MuslimFest in Canada in August. Also, we have confirmed a show in Malaysia in June with SABA media. I hope to visit a lot more countries, especially in the Middle East where I have never performed and Insha-Allah, things do look promising regarding this. Again, I hope to have updates on the website soon.
Name
amira dolton
-
Profession
Question
Salam alaikum. It's great that you're here today on islamonline.net. I visit this site a lot and I would just like to ask you what inspires you? I mean what lifts you up so that you can write and sing like that? I look forward to hearing any of your new work.
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
I always say that whilst we can do all this simple work, only Allah can inspire. I do get my inspiration from MY own daily life, especialy my family. A lot of the songs can be traced back to my children and the interaction with others or if you see something that touches your heart. Unlike other artists, I can't really write under pressure or when called upon. The process is very organic and it does take time. But sometimes, it comes all at once. The song "Moutains of Makkah" was one such song, Alhamdullillah. Another example, is the song "Orphan Child'. In South Africa, you see so many orphans on the street corners and this can be troubling and concerning enough to urge you to try to do something about it.
Name
Huda
- Palestine
Profession
Question
Dear Zain,
This is Huda A. Khamees from Palestine but I live in Kuwait. All what I need to say is to keep up the gdod work and good luck in spreading the good image of Islam through your anasheed. Really, I adore your Nasheed 'Give thanks to Allah' and 'Ya Nabi'. I wonder where can I find your CD here in Kuwait?
Will we see you soon in the Middle East countries?
Thank you
Answer
Ma'Sha Allah, it always astounds me that the songs have travelled so far. Thank you so much for the e-mail. We are trying to have the albums more widely distributed but it does take time. Also, they should be available online pretty soon, Insha-Allah. About the shows, yes it would be an honour for me to perform there soon and as I have said, things are progressing well. Also, I would like to add to everybody out there, that it's really been their support, prayers and listening to the songs that have spurned me on and helped make me be a better Muslim. For that, I am eternally grateful. May Allah bless us all with guidance.
Name
Geoff
-
Profession
Question
Hello and nice to meet you.
I was just wondering how your own people in South Africa react to your music. What I find is that most people find that talent from elsewhere is superior to their own local talent.
Have a good life.
Answer
Thanks for the question. The people here have been very, very suportive all these years. I think that if it wasn't for that, I would probably not have ventured out. Even now, despite it being over twelve years that I have been doing this, they still are very suportive. Also, bear in mind that this whole English Nasheed Genre is still very new and a lot more people are getting used to the idea.
Name
tina ahmad
-
Profession
Question
Salama alaikum. I wish you could do a concert in the Middle East (maybe egypt???) so the young people would see that Islamic music, I mean songs with Islamic meanings, are much more enjoyable that meaningless noisy and often indecent songs. I want to thank you dear brother for providing the alternative. I read that your son is also a musician. Could you tell us about him?
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
Alhamdullillah, he is doing very well, musically. Rashid is thirteen years old and he first performed on my album "Our World" singing the "Months in Islam". Then, he was really introduced everywhere when he did a few songs on Yusuf Islam's "I Look, I See" album, the most popular song being "Your Mother". This song is really popular throughout the world and has given him a good support base. That is why I am so excited about the new album becuase he features prominently on a few songs. He doesn't take it very seriously, which is a good thing. It's best that he focuses on his studies and sports. The singing should be purely for Allah.
Name
nina
-
Profession
Question
Saalams, I like your songs very much. I'm 16 and I'd like to ask what you think the Muslim youth should be doing to be better and stronger?
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
My humble opinion would be to get involved and stay focused on gaining knowledge. I find that unfortunatley, most of us are not knowledgable enough about our own religion that we don't stand much chance when engaging others, especially Non-Muslims. Gaining knowledge also helps us re-affirm our own belief and makes us stronger Muslims. The other advice is to always try and be yourself. After all, that's the only person you can truly be. Never be afraid to ask questions and also use the talents that Allah has given all of us to creatively communicate the message of Islam. The power of our future rests with our young people throughout the world. There's so much strength, if we but knew it!
Name
ayesha
-
Profession
Question
Salam alaikum wa rahmatula.
I'm a volunteer at the youth network and we focus on volunteer work for the youth. What do you think about that? Is youth doing volunteer work really going to make a difference in this world?
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
Oh , yes without a doubt. That's the one thing that often bothers me about the youth in my own country is that in some of the countries that I have visited, the youth seem so much more engaged and involved. It is really a wonder to behold when I see all these young Muslims so wiling AND able to pull off huge events and programmes for the benefit of all. All of you are really the unsung heroes of our time. May Allah give you all the strength to continue His glorious work.
Name
warda
-
Profession
Question
Salam alaikum.
I'd like to ask what you think about the Danish cartoon problem and what you think the Muslim youth can do to help fix things?
Thank you so much. and i like your music very much.
Answer
Wa alaikum salaam
Thank you for the question. An interesting thing happened the other day when I asked someone to look for a Hadith for me on the internet. They came back horrified at the amount of slander that's available on the net against Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him). So therefore, this thing has not only happened now and in the newspapers but everywhere. It is important to remember that we have to firstly try in our own circles and spaces to spread the true message of Islam. Sometimes, things like this happen for a reason and it gives us a unique opportunity to talk to others about the truth. There have been people breaking the law in response to this but I do not agree with this, especially in countries that grant you your right to religious freedom.
Name
Ramiza Rahman
- Singapore
Profession
Business Development Manager
Question
Assalamu alaikum to beloved Brothers and Sisters in Islam.
May Allah bless you with His Rahmat and show Guidance to His Path. Aamen.
Dear Brother Zain and All at Zain Bhikha Studio,
Alhamdullilah, and congratulations on your success through your singing, Masha Allah.
May Allah bless you.
I have 2 questions to ask, If I may.
1)I was born to love music. Most of my relatives are from a musical background.
Like yourself, I did not know I could sing till a friend discovered that I could when I was 14 years old.
I have participated in 2 national competitions in karaoke and in both I have won first top prize and also won a few singing competitions. I also represented my country in Hong Kong for an International competition. Love for singing has never changes, although I have stopped singing karaoke because of mostly ballads and pop songs.
I have changed through the years, because Allah is my ultimate reason and my final destination. I could not stop completely in singing, as I have tried many times to change. My interest in singing and passion in music has never stopped although now I am self employed.
With this passion, I have decided to put my best interest in my hands.
There is lack of support in my country(Singapore) on Nashid. How can I start and how can I can create awareness on Nashid in my country?
2) At this time, another sister Faridah, has similar problems. She is a manager/producer for Nashid group Nurirsyad in Singapore (which consists of 4 youths). She is a qualified music teacher and music arranger. She also had problems to get support from Madrasahs and Masjids to participate and had also proposed plans to collect funds for them from Nasyid song/albums. She was being turned down although she is willing to give free training to all. The answer she gets was that they would like to focus more on academics on youths (she only taught nashid in one madrasah for 2 years, then her service do not require anymore).
3) I had plans with her to do a Nashid concert with Nurirsyad (Singapore only Nasyid group known in Malaysia and Singapore )with famous Indonesian nashid singer Opick .His famous song is "Tombo Ati" here in Singapore and Indonesia with my associate in Indonesia, Jakarta.
and maybe InsyaAllah, we would like Brother Zain Bhikha to perform in Singapore. If Allah permits, we would like to welcome you here. Please help and give us opinions on whom or what ways can we pursue this dream locally and international, at the same time spread Islam and its teaching through Nashid.
I would like to know pls, how can we get people to help in Nashid project funds, local and international. I believe there is a big potential and awareness on Islam that we have to play apart.
And with the increase popularity in American idol, there are also Singapore idols and all other music awards which cover pop rock songs etc. We get less and less people especially youth, to love, hear and support Nashid songs.
Salaams, my thoughts would be to have something done. I have always found that once you have something available, even if it's a little rough, at least you can present it out there. This is really the way I started. I just recorded a few simple songs and made about 500 copies and gave it mostly to my freinds and family. That way, I got great feedback and Allah opens doors, provided your intentions are clear. We have to be doing this ONLY to please Him and for no other reason. There will be Barakah in that. The East is such a hub for creativity. I was recently in Malaysia for my first performance and there is a wealth of history in the culture of the local people, in their songs. I am sure that once you have something, if it is good enough, there will be oportunity. Also, I will be willing to help in whatever way I can. I have also volunteered to teach at the local school and I find that there's so much that can be done in schools with our children, especially using songs to teach. I will be very interested to liase with you and your friend regarding this Insha-Allah. I can be contacted via the website about a possible show, I am always open to that, time permitting. Again, for any such request, please contact Sister Misbah via the website and we will respond soonest. Thanks for the mail and keep up the good work, depsite it being frustrating sometimes. Allah is always aware of what we do and there's good in it, even it we cannot always see it.
Name
Sadiyah
- United States
Profession
Question
Assalamu Alaikum
Brother Zain, I wanted to say that your songs were introduced to me by a very dear friend, and I have enjoyed your music ever since. I heard that you will be performing in Washington soon. By any chance will you come to California, if so when? Also, what inspires you to sing such beautiful songs?
Thank you for answering my questions, and continue with your wonderful songs for all to enjoy.
Assalamu Alaikum
Answer
As-Salaam-u-Alaikum
Thank you for listening. I will, Insha-Allah be in the United States in July with the organisation called ICNA. I know that there will be a performance in Chicago but beyond that I'm not sure. Once it's finalised, we will put it up. I will try my best.
It's not always easy to come over to the United Sates with the visa situation but my last visit in 2003 was amazing and I really think tha Muslim Organisations in the US are strong. I hope to be there soon, Insha-Allah.
Name
maryam
-
Profession
Question
Assalamu alikum, i really love to listen to your songs and i would like to know what advice you'd give to young Muslims who are talented in singing or song writing. i mean how can we get started.
Answer
You know, this is the incredible thing...Songs are such a powerful medium to use to spread a message. It trancends race, colour, nationality and even religion. Everybody likes to listen to a good song. I am testimony to this. I have had no formal training and yet Allah has blessed me beyond my dreams.So, with technology today, it has become so easy. I would say: use your talent...write songs poetry...anything that is on your mind. That is what song-writing is all about.I know, my close friend, Brother Dawud Wharsnby Ali is currently doing his entire new album on his laptop using Garage Band, purely to show people how easy it is. May Allah bless him. It's putting your deepest thoughts and feelings out there, for the world to see and most likely people will associate with it because after all, we are all the same on the inside, with similar feelins, thoughts, fears... Also, remember, it's much harder to write songs about things that you have not personally felt, experienced or care about. You have to tackle things that affect you. This way, we will, Insha-Allah hear great things from you...Once done, there are so many companies that will hopefully be wiling to distribute it including Jamal Records, Awakening, Meem Music etc. You can always send the demo through to me for advice. My details will be on the website very shortly at www.zainbhikha.com(*)
